(Reuters) - Hurricane Florence is weakening slightly as it continues towards the Carolina coastal areas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Wednesday, adding that life-threatening storm surge and rainfall were still expected.

Florence, a Category 3 hurricane, was about 370 miles (595 km) east-southeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour (185 km per hour), the Miami, Florida-based weather forecaster said.